Reduced thickness document case

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a document case for receiving a large number of standardized format documents including at least two first flaps articulated relative to each other, the documents being inserted separately into overlapping pockets with an offset, their openings being parallel to the articulation axis of the flaps so that the documents are arranged in a stepped manner in order to expose a visible uncovered edge thereof. In case of two adjacent flaps, the steps are arranged with the same insertion direction, the highest document of one flap being adjacent to the lowest document of the other flap so that when the two flaps are folded on each other, the two series of steps are interleaved in order to reduce the thickness. Modes of application include wallets, multifunction diaries and document briefcases.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a document case intended for receivinga plurality of standardized-size documents, such as a wallet intendedfor receiving documents of the size of credit cards or visiting cards ora satchel intended for receiving files of any standardized size orpages.

2. Description of the Relevant Art

For a large number of documents such as health insurance cards, shoployalty cards, season tickets and sports license cards, the size ofcredit cards has been adopted. People soon accumulate a large number ofcards which have to be inserted into a wallet.

Use is often made of wallets including at least two flaps articulated toeach other, the cards being inserted separately into overlapping poucheswith an offset, their opening being parallel or perpendicular to theaxis of articulation of the flaps, in such a way that the cards arearranged in tiers displaying a visible uncovered edge. It is thuspossible to identify a card by its visible edge and to remove it easilyfrom its pouch in order to use it.

The cards overlap so as to form a sort of step, resulting in a largethickness at the location where the greatest number of cards is locatedon one another. Each flap has a substantially triangular shape inprofile. The pouches are arranged symmetrically relative to the axis ofarticulation of the two flaps and, when the wallet is closed, the twothickest portions of the flaps face each other so as to produce a largeexcess thickness which creates a bulge on one of the sides of the flapsin the closure position and prevents said excess thickness from beingplaced into a pocket of low thickness, such as rear pockets of trousersor shirt pockets.

In the same way, persons who have to carry around a large number offiles, for example clients' files for a representative, wish to be ableto accommodate their files separately also in tiers in a satchel havingtwo flaps so as to be able to identify them and remove them rapidly, andin this case it is also desirable to limit the volume of the satchel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would be desirable to provide a document case of the aforementionedtype having reduced thickness, while avoiding the aforementioned bulge.

It is further desirable to reduce the cost of manufacturing a documentcase of this type.

It is also desirable to provide a document case which can receive alarge number of documents of a plurality of sizes (A4 or otherwise).

For this purpose, in one embodiment, for two adjacent flaps, the pouchesare arranged with the same direction of insertion, the highest documentof one of the flaps is adjacent to the lowest document of the otherflap, in such a way that, when the two flaps are folded on each other,the two series of tiers are fitted in each other so as to reduce thethickness of the wallet or document case.

As a result, the thickest sections of the two flaps are remote from eachother when the document case is closed and the bulging is reduced. It isthus possible to produce a wallet having two flaps including a maximumnumber of documents in a minimum thickness.

According to an embodiment, the series of the tiers of one flap consistsof a sheet folded back on itself in a zigzag configuration, the distancebetween two folds having, alternately, two different values, one valueequal to the side of the document to be inserted which is perpendicularto the opening of the pouch and one slightly lower value to allow thedocument to be grasped, the edges of the sides in the zigzagconfiguration of the sheet being fixed to one another and the set of thepouches of all the flaps is formed in the same sheet.

This provision allows the manufacture of the document case to besimplified and its cost price to be reduced.

In one embodiment, the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration ofthe sheet are advantageously fixed to one another by a stitch. Apinching of the pouches on the side is obtained, preventing thedocuments from falling from the pouch.

In one embodiment, the document case includes a third divider flap whichis articulated to one of the other flaps, which, in the closureposition, is turned down on one of the two other flaps and whichincludes pouches on its two faces, the series of pouches of its twofaces being arranged in an antisymmetrical manner in such a way that, inthe closure position, the series of tiers of each face of the thirddivider flap is fitted in the series of tiers of the inner face of oneof the two first flaps and wherein the width of the inverted pleatseparating the two first flaps corresponds substantially to 2n times thethickness of an inserted document, n being the number of documents whichcan be inserted into a flap.

In one embodiment, a set of two adjacent flaps includes an outer lateralpocket extending over the entire length and the opening of which isperpendicular to the axis of articulation. This lateral pocket canreceive very long documents such as bank notes and identity papers.

In one embodiment, the side of the flaps which is parallel to the axisof articulation is substantially larger than twice the width of thecredit cards and each flap includes successively three pouches intendedfor receiving a credit card-sized document arranged parallel to the axisof articulation of the two flaps, then two series of two adjacentpouches intended for receiving a credit card-sized document arrangedtransversely to the axis of articulation of the two flaps. Thus a smallwallet may be produced which has two flaps and contains 14 creditcard-sized documents.

In one embodiment, at least one flap further includes at least one widerpouch intended for larger documents. Thus allowing official documents tobe accommodated which are larger than credit cards (e.g., officialpapers such as identity cards, driving licenses, the new Europeanvehicle registration card, etc.).

In one embodiment, the outer lateral pocket includes an innerseparation, allowing documents of differing sizes, such as visitingcards, to be accommodated.

In one embodiment, the document case includes an insert consisting of asingle flap which is articulated to a tongue which can be inserted intoan inner pocket of a flap and which includes, on one of its faces, aseries of tiers, the opening of which is parallel to the axis ofarticulation, said tongue being folded on the pouches in the positionfor storage in a clothing pocket.

It is thus possible to have a removable document case which can be usedseparately or inserted into a wallet. When it is used separately andplaced, for example, in a shirt pocket or an outer suit jacket pocket,the documents which it contains are protected from the formation ofstatic electricity which can damage documents including electronic ormagnetic elements, such as credit cards, memory cards or transportdocuments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from thefollowing description, which is given by way of non-limiting example,with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 a to 1 e depict diagrams illustrating a card holder of the knowntype;

FIGS. 1 f to 1 g depict diagrams illustrating an embodiment of thedocument case;

FIG. 2 depicts a schematic longitudinal section of a wallet with 2 flapsintended for receiving credit card-sized documents;

FIG. 3 depicts a schematic cross section of the wallet from FIG. 3;

FIGS. 4 to 6 depict diagrams illustrating an embodiment of the pouches;

FIG. 7 depicts a diagram showing a stitch point;

FIGS. 8 to 11 depict diagrams illustrating an embodiment of a walletwith 3 flaps and 4 tiers of pouches;

FIG. 12 depicts a schematic cross section of the outer lateral pocket ofa wallet with at least 2 flaps;

FIG. 13 depicts a front view of a flap of a small wallet with 7 cardsper flap;

FIG. 14 depicts a schematic perspective view of a card case thatincludes a single flap including a tongue which can be inserted into aninner pocket of a flap;

FIGS. 15 and 16 and 20 illustrate three embodiments of a wallet withfour flaps;

FIG. 17 shows an embodiment of a tab fixed to a flap, in the openingposition;

FIG. 18 shows a wallet including two tabs in the closure position;

FIG. 19 shows a flap including a double pocket, one of the two inlets ofwhich receives the tongue of an insert with a single flap (FIG. 14).

FIG. 21 illustrates in this cross section the way in which there isproduced, by folding in a zigzag configuration, a tongue insert,including a tier on each of its faces, using one and the same strip;

FIGS. 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, 22 d show the steps of folding a wallet withthree flaps, providing optimum storage safety;

FIG. 23 depicts a diagram of a wallet with on each of the flaps a pocketsituated below the tiers of pouches and of which the openingperpendicular to the axis of articulation allows the storage ofdocuments larger than the documents of the tiers.

FIGS. 24 a and 24 b show the steps of folding a wallet with two flapsand two inserts, each of them being situated at an end of the wallet,making the storage of the cards safe and increasing the capacity of thewallet, the outer faces of each of the inserts including a window pouch.

FIGS. 24 c and 24 d show window pouches equipped with zip fastenerswhich, arranged in this way, fold in a shape-mating manner.

FIG. 25 shows a small wallet with three flaps, wherein each flap cancontain up to ten cards.

FIGS. 25 a and 25 b show a wallet with 3 flaps including on the end flapfurthest to the right a set of increasingly small superimposed pouchesfor receiving different-sized documents, with a window tab folding onsaid pouches in the closure position as presented in FIG. 25 c.

While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Thedrawings may not be to scale. It should be understood, however, that thedrawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit theinvention to the particular form disclosed, but to the contrary, theintention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternativesfalling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as definedby the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 a shows a card holder of the known type which consists of twoflaps 1 and 2 which pivot about an axis of articulation 3. Each flapincludes pouches 4 which are intended for receiving credit card-sizeddocuments and offset relative to one another, their openings 7 beingdirected toward the axis of articulation 3, the series of tiers of theflaps 1 and 2 being arranged symmetrically relative to the axis ofarticulation 3. In the case of FIG. 1 b, the pouches 4′ areperpendicular to the axis of articulation 3′. The depth 5 of a pouch 4or 4′ is smaller than the width 6 of a card in such a way that an edgeof the card is visible in the space separating two successive openings7. In the closure position (FIG. 1 e), the two flaps are folded on eachother, the pouches of the two flaps being in contact.

According to diagram, there are five pouches per flap and it may be seenthat the cards 8 accommodated in the pouches 4 overlap above oneanother, as is shown schematically in FIG. 1 c. As is shown in FIG. 1 a,the visible end of the first card inserted into the pouch remote fromthe axis of articulation 3 overlaps with the following four cards. Thisresults, after folding (FIGS. 1 d and 1 d'), in a tiered profile shownschematically as a triangle forming a bulge as shown in FIG. 1 d or 1 d′in the case of FIG. 1 b. When the two series of tiers are arrangedsymmetrically in the known card holder from FIG. 1 a or 1 b, in theclosure position, as shown in FIG. 1 e, the excess thicknesses of thetwo triangles are placed one on the other, providing a card holder whichis very thick and will have difficulty entering a narrow clothingpocket, such as the rear pocket of a pair of trousers, the pocket of ashirt or the outer pocket of the jacket of a suit.

According to an embodiment of the document case, for two adjacent flaps,the pouches are arranged with the same direction of insertion, thehighest document of one of the flaps is adjacent to the lowest documentof the other flap, in such a way that, when the two flaps are folded oneach other, the two series of tiers are fitted in each other so as toreduce the thickness of the wallet or document case. As is shownschematically in FIG. 1 f and, in the closure position via FIG. 1 g, thetriangles of the two flaps oppose each other and the excess thicknessesare compensated for in such a way that the overall thickness of the cardholder is greatly reduced.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic longitudinal and transverse sections of awallet with two flaps according to an embodiment which includes an outerlateral pocket. As may be seen, the two series of tiers 11 and 12 have acommon inner face 13. An outer lateral pocket is formed on the outerface of this common inner face 13; it includes two compartments 14 and15 intended for receiving large documents such as bank notes andidentity papers. Provided in the inner compartment 14, is a short pouch16 having a width smaller than that of a flap for receiving, forexample, visiting cards.

FIG. 3, which is a transverse section in the region of the small pocket16, shows that the pocket is formed by means of a sheet 17 folded threetimes in a zigzag configuration.

FIGS. 4 to 6 illustrate an embodiment of the tiered pouches. FIG. 4shows a sheet 21 made of flexible and pliable material, such as a liningmade of woven fabric, in which transverse folding lines 22 to 25 arefoamed. The distance between two adjacent folding lines has,alternately, two different values, one value equal to the size of theside of the document to be inserted which is perpendicular to theopening of the pouch and one slightly lower value, the edges of thesides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet being fixed to oneanother, namely in such a way that the distance between the two lines 23and 24 is equal to the width of a credit card and corresponds to thedepth of a pouch and that the distance between the two lines 22 and/or24 and 25 is slightly smaller than this width, for example by about 9mm. The sheet 21 is then folded in the zigzag configuration as shown inFIG. 5; the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet21 are then fixed to one another so as to provide three pouches as shownin FIG. 6. For the sake of clarity, FIGS. 4 to 6, show just threepouches with a sheet including six portions folded along five folds;however series may also be produced including many more pouches perflap, for example 10 for credit card-sized documents, the length of eachflap then being about 14 cm.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to fix, foraesthetic reasons, a finishing cover, made for example of leather, to atleast a portion of all of the pouches. Advantageously, provision may bemade to cut out a window 28, in the portion of the finishing cover thatcovers the first pouch in order to display more clearly the cardarranged in this pouch; this window can be closed by means of atransparent element.

According to an embodiment, a cord 20 made of a flexible material may beplaced on the edges of the sheet 21 before said sheet has been folded(see FIG. 4). This flexible cord 20 is arranged at the location wherethe edges are fixed. The presence of this flexible cord 20 provides aneffect of pinching the edges of the cards inserted into the pouches insuch a way that the cards are held securely in the pouches and cannotescape.

In some embodiments, it is possible to cut out the sheet 21 in theregion of a double fold as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As a result, asubstantially elliptically-shaped indentation 26 is obtained on thefolds 22 and 24 in the region of the ridge of the tiers. When the edgesof the sheet 21 are fixed to form the pouches, as shown in FIG. 6, arecess 27 is obtained which allows easier grasping of the card to beremoved. Moreover, if a finishing cover is provided, this recess 27reveals the sheet forming the pouches, signaling an empty pouch.

In an embodiment, the document case includes a plurality of series ofpouches, all of which are formed in a single sheet by providing anon-folded portion corresponding to the axis of articulation, betweentwo series of pouches. This then provides an inner continuous sheetcontaining the various series of pouches which form successive series oftiers oriented in the same direction.

In some embodiments edges are advantageously fixed to one another bystitching, for example by means of a rolling point as shown in FIG. 7.The stitching thread passes above the sides of the sheet over a distanceD, then it passes below in the opposite direction over a distance dwhich is smaller (e.g., half of D); then, the thread is passed back ontop over the distance D, and so on. If there is a flexible cord 20, asshown in FIG. 6, the stitching may be carried out on the flexible cordor along the edge of this cord outside the pouch so as to obtaineffective pinching without crushing.

FIGS. 8 to 11 show an embodiment of a wallet which includes 3 flaps, but4 series of tiers. As stated hereinbefore, all of the series of tiers 31to 34 are produced using a single sheet while being separated bynon-folded portions of the sheet 35 to 37 which are arranged in theregion of the axes of articulation of the flaps and which form invertedpleats. As may be seen, all the series of tiers are oriented in the samedirection.

In some embodiments, one of the flaps 38 is obtained by folding the twoseries of tiers 33 and 34 on each other as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.There are thus obtained three flaps, two first flaps 39 and 41 whichinclude the same series of tiers on their inner face and a third dividerflap 38 which, in the closure position, is located between the two otherflaps and which includes pouches on its two faces. In order to close thewallet, the third divider flap 38 is first folded on the first flap 39and the set obtained is then turned down on the first flap 41. FIG. 11shows that, according to an embodiment, the series of tiers are fittedand that the total thickness of the wallet, which correspondssubstantially to the thickness of two series of tiers, is in particularreduced.

In some embodiments, the width of the inverted pleats 35 to 37 (see alsoFIG. 2) is adapted to the cumulative thickness of the documents whichare applied to one another when the wallet is folded and closed. Morespecifically, if each of the flaps includes n pouches, the width of theinverted pleat 37, which is located between the series of tiers 33 and34 of the intermediate flap 38, is substantially equal to n times thethickness of a document, that is to say, to the thickness of theintermediate flap 38 and the width of the inverted pleat 35 whichseparates the two first flaps consisting of the series of tiers 31 and32 is substantially equal to 2n times the thickness of a document, thetotal thickness of the wallet in the closure position.

FIG. 12 is a schematic longitudinal section embodying the lateralpockets of a wallet with two compartments. A first outer compartment 51is intended, for example, for receiving identity papers; the secondcompartment 52 is intended, for example, for receiving bank notes and itincludes a small pocket 53 intended for receiving visiting cards.

FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of a wallet flap in the case in which theside of the flaps which is parallel to the axis of articulation issubstantially larger than twice the width, I, of the documents, allowingthe provision of pairs of pouches 62 or 63 arranged beside each other,their length being perpendicular to the axis of articulation 64. In thiscase, there is firstly arranged in tiers the maximum number, n1, of“vertical” pouches 62 and 63 which is determined by the length of thedocument, L, and the dimension, e, of the visible portion, thedimension, A, of the flap which is perpendicular to the axis ofarticulation 64 being substantially equal to A=L+n1 e, n1 being thenumber of pairs of vertical documents.

According to the embodiment, in the free portion 65 of the flap which islocated below the openings of the pouches 62 and 63 there are formed“horizontal” pouches 66, the width of which corresponds to the length,L, of the documents. The maximum number, n2, of horizontal pouches isdetermined by the relationship:

A=I+(n1+n2)e; I being the width of the documents.

This provision allows the number of pouches to be optimized; thus, inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 13, there are seven pouches, the opening ofwhich is directed toward the axis of articulation 64, whereas if all thepouches are arranged “horizontally” as in the preceding embodiments,only five pouches can be provided.

FIG. 14 is a front view illustrating one embodiment of an insert whichconsists of a flap 71 and a tongue 72 which is articulated to the flapalong the axis 73 and which can be introduced into a pocket formed in aflap (89) and the opening of which is parallel to the axis ofarticulation of the flap in such a way that the insert can bearticulated, placed between two flaps of a wallet. This insert can alsobe sold and used separately, for example in a shirt pocket.

This insert includes, on at least one of its faces, pouches 74 and whenit is used separately, in the closure position, the tongue 72 is foldeddown on these pouches 74. This tongue protects the documents fromfriction when the insert is placed in a pouch; that prevents, inparticular, phenomena of static electricity which can damage documentsincluding electronic and/or magnetic elements, such as smart cards,transport documents and memory cards.

This insert may also include pouches on its second face for documentswhich are insensitive to static electricity. It is also possible toprovide a lateral pocket for receiving a few bank notes. Thus, it ispossible to produce an insert including on one face a series of tieredpouches for the most used credit cards, on the other face one or morelarger pouches for identity papers and a lateral pouch for bank notes.An insert of this type may be used separately to allow the owner tocarry around with him essential documents and to be inserted into awallet with two or more flaps which contains documents which are usedless frequently and are not essential.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show, in the unfolded position, two embodiments of adocument case, more specifically, wallets. FIG. 15 relates to a walletwith four flaps 81 to 84 which each include a series of six “horizontal”pouches and the dimensions of which are 11.5 cm×9.5 cm and whichincludes a lateral pouch 85. The outer inverted pleats 86 and 87 betweenan outer flap 81 or 84 and a central flap 82 or 83 are about 6 mm, i.e.substantially six times the thickness of a document, and the innerinverted pleat between the two central flaps 82 and 83 has a doublevalue which corresponds to the thickness of an outer flap folded on acentral flap. There is thus obtained a wallet which can receive 24credit card-sized documents, which has a length of 48.7 cm in theunfolded state and the dimensions of which are substantially 11.5 cm×9.5cm with a thickness of about 15 mm. It may therefore easily enter ashirt pocket or the outer pocket of the jacket of a suit, the dimensionsof which are about 15 cm×10 cm.

FIG. 20 shows an embodiment of a wallet with 4 flaps, each of the flapsbeing the same size as the flaps from FIG. 15, but arrangedtransversely; said wallet allows use which is more adapted to a woman'shand, the capacity being reduced by 15%. In the free space of the flaps,window pouches 201 allow documents to be received which cannot be placedin the tiered pouches, such as wide visiting cards, photos, stamps ormetro tickets, credit card receipts. The opening of these window pouchesis oriented from the same side as that of the tiered pouches. Thus, itis not possible for a document contained in these various pouches tofall when the wallet is in the closure position.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 16 allows up to 7 cards to be accommodatedper flap. It has four flaps of the type illustrated in FIG. 13 eachincluding four vertical pouches and three horizontal pouches and thedimensions of which are 10.5 cm×12 cm. The outer and inner invertedpleats have a respective width of 5 and 10 mm which is adapted to thethickness of the flaps with seven pouches. In the unfolded state, thiswallet has a length of 44 cm and, in the closure position, itsdimensions are substantially 10.5 cm×12 cm with a maximum thickness ofabout 18 mm. Its capacity is 28 credit card-sized documents.

FIG. 17 shows an embodiment of a tab 91 which is articulated to a flap92 on the side of the wallet, i.e. on a side perpendicular to the axisof articulation 93. This tab may include a pouch on each of its facesand is arranged in the region of the tier ridges consisting of the edgesof the documents which are located in the pouches of the flap 92 so asto cover them in the folded position on the flap 92.

FIG. 18 shows an embodiment of a wallet with two flaps each including 6horizontal pouches, each flap including a tab 94 or 95 which is in theclosure position and the width of which is slightly smaller than thelength of the flap. When the wallet is folded, the two tabs 94 and 95are arranged one beside the other without overlap in such a way that thecapacity of the wallet is increased by four documents while thethickness is only increased by two times the thickness of a document,the inverted pleat 96 having a width of 8 mm instead of 6. This walletwith 2 flaps can therefore contain 16 documents in a reduced volume. Ifa finishing cover is provided, the tabs 94 and 95 mask the tiers of thepouches, improving the aesthetic appearance of the wallet.

FIG. 19 shows an embodiment of a flap 101 which includes two pockets 102and 103 arranged head to tail, the openings of which are parallel to theaxis of articulation 104. Again, this double pocket consists of a sheetwhich is folded in a zigzag configuration and the edges of which arefixed to one another. Each of the pockets obtained can receive a largedocument or the tongue 105 of an insert as is illustrated in FIG. 14.

In some embodiments document cases are produced by fixing the edges ofthe sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet (21) to one anotherby a stitch with a rolling point as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 21 shows an embodiment of an insert with a tongue, 210, produced byfolding a strip 213 in a zigzag configuration, in such a way as toobtain a sequence of pouches 211, 212, arranged in tiers openingalternately on the two faces of the insert and articulated to arectangularly-shaped tongue 210 intended to be introduced into a pouchof a wallet. It will be noted that in this example the pouches 211, 212of the inner face and of the outer face are oriented in oppositedirections. The distance between two consecutive folds of the strip 213has, alternately, a value equal to the width of a document to beinserted which is perpendicular to the opening of the pouch and a lowervalue in such a way as to remove the document. Advantageously, thewallet may be able to include flaps including tiers which are orientedin the same direction of insertion and therefore fit perfectly withthose of the insert, allowing for example the capacity of a wallet, theflaps of which include the same number of tiers as each of the faces ofthe insert, to be doubled.

FIGS. 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, 22 d illustrate an embodiment of a method offolding a wallet with three flaps, connected to one another by twoinverted pleats 222, 223 of differing width. As may be seen in FIG. 22a, which shows the wallet in the unfolded state, each flap includes aseries of five pouches opening on their left-hand portion. The fivepouches of each flap lie, viewed from the side, within a right angletriangle (FIG. 22 b). The wallet is folded by turning down the flapfurthest to the left on the central flap in such a way that thehypotenuses of the two triangles are superimposed. The flap furthest tothe right is then turned down on the stack consisting of the two otherflaps. Thus, in the folded position, the wallet has a reduced thickness.Furthermore, this solution ensures that the cards do not fall once thewallet is folded. It assumes that the inverted pleats 222, 223 are theright size, the inverted pleat 223 being larger than the inverted pleat222.

FIG. 23 shows an embodiment of a wallet including two flaps connected toeach other by an inverted pleat. Each of the flaps includes alongitudinal main zone in which there is arranged a series of pouchesopening from the same side, having a width substantially smaller thanthe width of the flap, as well as a lateral zone in the region of whichthere opens a lateral pocket 231 situated below the main zone. Theopening of the pouches extends parallel to the inverted pleat whereasthe opening of the two pockets 231 extends perpendicularly to saidpleat.

According to the embodiment, the two pockets are larger than the pouchesand can therefore receive larger documents which can extend beyond thelateral zones, such as for example national identity cards, drivinglicenses, voting or health insurance cards, motor vehicle insurancecards, etc.

FIGS. 24 a and 24 b show an embodiment of a wallet which has two flapsconnected to each other by an inverted pleat and equipped with twoinserts each including a series of pouches arranged in tiers. Thepouches of these inserts open from the same side as the pouches of theflaps of the wallet with which they are associated. For this purpose,the flaps of the wallet each include below the tiers of pouches a pocket232, the opening of which extends parallel to the inverted pleat, alongthe edge of the flap remote from said pleat and in which a correspondinginsert engages.

Owing to these provisions, in the folded position of the wallet, theseries of pouches of the insert and of the adjacent flap fit one insidethe other so as to reduce the thickness of the wallet or document case,the capacity of which is therefore increased. Moreover, that ensuresoptimum storage safety, in the folded state of the wallet, the openingsof the pouches of the flaps and of the inserts being turned toward theinterior of the wallet, preventing the content of these pouches fromfalling.

In this embodiment, the inner face of each of the inserts is equippedwith a series of tiers whereas the outer face of each of these insertsis equipped with a transparent window pouch 248, 249, the opening of thetransparent pouches being oriented from the same side (FIG. 24 b).

In order to maximize the capacity of these window pouches and to preventthe documents or objects contained therein from falling therefrom, theyare, in an embodiment shown in FIG. 24 c, each equipped with a zipfastener (246, 247) allowing complete closure of these window pouches,and equipped with a gusset (233) for increasing the capacity thereof.

According one embodiment, these window pouches of the outer face of theinserts, equipped with a zip fastener, once they are closed, form twoclosed zones which can contain objects which cannot be placed in thepouches of the inner tiers of the wallet, such as for example coins ofvarious national currencies which it will be possible to grasp easily,the transparency of the window promoting identification thereof. At thelast step of the folding, the two flaps on which the two inserts arefolded fold against each other, the zip fasteners of the window pouchesof the outer face of the inserts fitting without excess thickness in thefree space of the flaps 244, 245 (FIG. 24 d).

FIG. 24 d is a side view of the window pouches with the gusset (233);their right angle triangular shape allows, on folding of the two flapsof the wallet, perfect fitting of the two pouches, in a shape-matingmanner. Once the wallet is closed, it remains flat and its thickness isminimized.

FIG. 25 shows an embodiment of a wallet which is the same size as thatfrom FIG. 16 and has three flaps connected by inverted pleats (252) eachincluding pouches arranged in tiers, wherein some of them can receiveloyalty mini cards or tickets, the loyalty mini cards having a length L1equal to one third of the length L of the credit card-sized loyaltycards, all having a width I.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the width B of which issubstantially larger than twice the width I of the documents. First ofall, there is placed on each of the flaps and in tiers the maximumnumber n1 of pairs of vertical pouches (256, 257) arranged alongside oneanother, which is determined by the length L of the document and thedimension e of the visible portion, the dimension A of the flap which isperpendicular to the axis of articulation of the flaps beingsubstantially equal to:

A=L+n1e.

As the width B of the wallet is also substantially larger than fourthirds of the length L of the documents, there are provided in the freespace of the flap (258) two tiers of horizontal pouches, one having awidth equal to the length L of the documents and the other being of awidth L/3 of the documents. The maximum number of pouches of each of thetiers is n2 determined by the relationship: A=I+(n1+n2)e, I being thewidth of the documents. This provision allows the number of pouches tobe optimized; thus, in the example of FIG. 25, the number of pouches forthe credit cards is identical for the three flaps (253, 259) but, forthe two flaps furthest to the left, it additionally allows 3 pouches tobe received for the loyalty mini cards (250, 251), i.e. 10 pouchesinstead of 7 for the last flap, the flap furthest to the right.

FIG. 25 a shows an embodiment of a wallet in the opening position,including on the end flap furthest to the right a storage zone allowingaccommodation of documents which cannot be placed in the pouches of thetwo flaps furthest to the left, wherein said documents can be ofdiffering sizes. This storage zone consists of a set of superimposedpouches (263), open on two of their four sides, on the one hand the sideparallel to the axis of articulation of the flap and on the other handone of the sides perpendicular to said axis, side where there is fixedthe rectangularly-shaped tab (261), the dimensions of which aresubstantially equal to those of the flap and which is connected to saidflap by an inverted pleat (260), this tab including on each of its facesa window pouch (262), the opening of which is directed toward theinverted pleat (252). These superimposed pouches are increasingly small,the width and the length of the pouch situated on top beingsubstantially and respectively smaller than the width (265) and thelength (266) of the pouch situated below, so that the document placedinto the pouch from below sticks out sufficiently to allow it to beidentified and grasped.

FIG. 25 b shows an embodiment of a wallet of the same type, the zone ofwhich for the storage of different-sized documents also consists of aset of pouches which are superimposed in accordance with the sameprinciple as in FIG. 25 a but of a different shape, with a cut-offsection, the covered portion of each of the documents placed in thepouches being smaller. This therefore facilitates the placement andremoval of the document in/from each of the pouches (263). This shapewith a cut-off section is obtained by forming on the rectangular pouchesof the storage zone from FIG. 25 a a cut-out parallel to the diagonal ofsaid pouch, in such a way that the couch with the cut-off section has asurface area slightly larger than half the rectangular pouch beforecutting-out. The distance between the diagonal and the parallel (267)along which the pouches are cut out is substantially equal to thedifference between the widths (265) and the lengths (266) of twocontiguous and superimposed pouches.

Protected in this way, the documents placed in this storage zone arestored flat, allowing, the tab (261) being folded on said documents, thethickness of the wallet, which remains flat in the closure position, tobe minimized and preventing the documents from falling therefrom.

These embodiments allow the production of a whole range of walletsadapted to users' needs. The dimensions of the pouches can be adapted tothe sizes of all types of documents such as credit cards (5.4×8.5 cm),visiting cards (7.5×12.5 cm), loyalty mini cards (5.4×2.83 cm), newsizes of official papers such as driving licenses (7.5×11 cm), identitycards (7.2×10.3 cm), etc. It is also possible to provide pouches forelements such as memory cards, camera or telephone flat batteries,permanent transport documents, for example for the metro or motorwaytoll booths.

Furthermore, the use of an insert allows the owner to carry around withhim only the most important documents, the insert including a series oftiers on one of its faces for documents sensitive to static electricity,which the tongue comes to protect, and a plurality of pockets on itsother face.

The embodiments described in detail are examples of wallets intended toreceive personal documents, although obviously the principles apply toall document cases. In particular, it is possible to imagine briefcasesor satchels including two flaps including series of pouches formingseries of tiers fitting in one another to reduce the thickness of thebriefcase. A briefcase of this type can for example contain client filesor samples of products for representatives or delivery men, whereinthese files or samples, for example of carpet or wallpapers, can easilybe located and can be removed without difficulty.

Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects ofthe invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view ofthis description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed asillustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled inthe art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It is to beunderstood that the forms of the invention shown and described hereinare to be taken as examples of embodiments. Elements and materials maybe substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts andprocesses may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may beutilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in theart after having the benefit of this description of the invention.Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the followingclaims. In addition, it is to be understood that features describedherein independently may, in certain embodiments, be combined.

1. A document case intended for receiving a plurality ofstandardized-size documents, comprising at least two first flapsarticulated to one another, the documents being inserted separately intooverlapping pouches with an offset, their opening being parallel to theaxis of articulation of the flaps, in such a way that the documents arearranged in tiers displaying a visible uncovered edge, wherein, for twoadjacent flaps, the tiers are arranged with the same direction ofinsertion, the highest document of one of the flaps is adjacent to thelowest document of the other flap, in such a way that, when the twoflaps are folded on each other, the two series of tiers are fitted ineach other so as to reduce the thickness of the wallet or document case.2. The document case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the series ofpouches of one flap consists of a sheet folded back on itself in azigzag configuration, the distance between two folds having,alternately, two different values, one value equal to the side of thedocument to be inserted which is perpendicular to the opening of thepouch and one slightly lower value so as to be able to remove thedocument, the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of thesheet being fixed to one another and in that the set of the pouches ofall the flaps is formed in a sheet, the series of tiers being separatedby non-folded sections, forming inverted pleats, the width of whichcorresponds substantially to n times the thickness of an inserteddocument, n being the number of documents which can be inserted into aflap.
 3. The document case as claimed in claim 2, wherein the edges ofthe sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet are fixed to oneanother by a stitch with a rolling point.
 4. The document case asclaimed in claim 2, wherein before the folding of the sheet, a cord madeof a flexible material is placed on the edges of the sides in the zigzagconfiguration of the sheet in the region of the line of the fixingthereof.
 5. The document case as claimed in claim 2, wherein there isprovided a partial cut-out, a substantially elliptically-shapedindentation, of the sheet folded in the region of the fold forming thetier ridge.
 6. The document case as claimed in claim 2, wherein thesheet comprises a finishing cover which comprises a cut-out forming awindow in the region of at least one pouch or a pocket.
 7. The documentcase as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one thirddivider flap which is articulated to one of the other flaps, which, inthe closure position, is turned down on one of the two other flaps andwhich comprises pouches on its two faces, the series of pouches of itstwo faces being arranged in an antisymmetrical manner in such a waythat, in the closure position, the series of tiers of each face of thethird divider flap is fitted in the series of tiers of the inner face ofone of the two first flaps and in that the width of the inverted pleatseparating the two first flaps corresponds substantially to 2n times thethickness of an inserted document, n being the number of documents whichcan be inserted into a flap.
 8. The document case as claimed in claim 1,further comprising an outer lateral pocket extending over the entirelength of the two first flaps, the opening of which is perpendicular tothe axis of articulation and which comprises two compartments and inthat one of the compartments comprises a pouch having a smaller widththan that of a flap.
 9. The document case as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe side of the flaps which is parallel to the axis of articulation issubstantially larger than twice the width of the documents, in that, inat least one flap, there is provided a maximum number of pairs ofadjacent pouches forming two series of adjacent vertical tiers and inthat, in the space remaining free of the flap, there are added pouchesarranged perpendicularly in such a way as to produce a series ofhorizontal tiers, the opening of all the pouches being directed towardthe axis of articulation.
 10. The document case as claimed claim 1,further comprising an insert which can be used separately and whichconsists of a single flap which comprises, on at least one of its faces,pouches, and which is articulated to a tongue, the tongue being fixed tothe insert on a side parallel to the axis of articulation, and when theinsert is used alone, said tongue being folded on the pouches in theposition for storage in a clothing pocket, in such a way that it coversthe documents inserted into the pouches, and the insert is fixed to thewallet by introducing said tongue into a pocket formed in a flap and theopening of which is parallel to the axis of articulation of the flap insuch a way that the insert can be articulated, between two flaps of awallet.
 11. The document case as claimed in claim 10, wherein at leastone of the first flaps comprises at least two superimposed pockets, theopenings of which are remote from and parallel to the axis ofarticulation in such a way as to receive an insert tongue or a largedocument, the two pockets being formed by means of a sheet folded in azigzag configuration.
 12. The document case as claimed in claim 2,wherein the two first flaps each comprise a tab which is articulated tothe flap on a side perpendicular to the axis of articulation, in theregion of the tier ridges, and which comprises a pouch on at least oneof its faces, the width of the tab being slightly smaller than thelength of the flap, when the tab is in the closure position, and whenthe wallet is folded, the two tabs are arranged adjacently, one besidethe other, without overlap.
 13. The document case as claimed in claim 1,further comprising at least three flaps, connected by two invertedpleats, each comprising a series of pouches opening from the same side,the wallet being folded by turning down the flap situated at the end ofthe open wallet, corresponding to said side, on the central flap, thenby turning down subsequently the flap situated at the end of the openwallet corresponding to the opposite side.
 14. The document case asclaimed in claim 1, further comprising at least two flaps, each flapcomprising a series of pouches in tiers having a width substantiallysmaller than the width of the flap, wherein it comprises a lateralpocket situated below the tiers, parallel to the axis of articulation,and the opening of which extends over the entire length of the flap,perpendicularly to said axis.
 15. The document case as claimed in claim1, further comprising two flaps, connected to each other by an invertedpleat, each flap comprising a series of pouches opening from the sameside, wherein each of the flaps further comprises below the pouches apocket, the opening of which extends parallel to the inverted pleatalong an edge of the flap remote from said pleat and in which thereengages a tongue insert comprising on one of its faces a series ofpouches arranged in tiers opening from the same side as the pouches ofthe flaps of the wallet with which it is associated and the face of thisinsert situated remote from that carrying the tiers of pouches beingequipped with a transparent window pocket and with a gussetperpendicular to the opening of these transparent pockets, said openingsof the transparent pockets of the two flaps extending from the same sideparallel to the inverted pleat and closing by means of a zip fastener.16. The document case as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a tongueinsert produced by folding a strip in a zigzag configuration in such away as to obtain a sequence of pouches arranged in tiers, openingalternately on the two faces of the insert and articulated to therectangularly-shaped tongue which is intended to be introduced into apouch of said document case.
 17. The document case as claimed in claim1, wherein the side of the flaps which is parallel to the axis ofarticulation is substantially larger than twice the width of thedocuments and substantially larger than four thirds the length of thedocuments, in that, in at least one flap, there is provided a maximumnumber of pairs of adjacent pouches forming a series of adjacentvertical tiers and in that, in the space remaining free of the flap,there are added two tiers of pouches arranged horizontally andadjacently, the openings of the pouches being oriented in the samedirection as those of the vertical tiers, the widths of which arerespectively on the one hand substantially larger than the length of adocument and on the other hand substantially larger than the third ofthe length of a document.
 18. The document case as claimed in claim 1,further comprising three flaps connected by two inverted pleats, one ofthe end flaps comprising a set of superimposed pouches, and such thatthe dimensions of the top pouch are substantially smaller than those ofthe pouches situated below, each of the pouches being open on two sides,on the one hand the side parallel to the inverted pleat and on the otherhand one of the sides perpendicular to said pleat, this same side beingthat where there is fixed the rectangularly-shaped tab, the dimensionsof which are substantially equal to that of the flap, connected to saidflap by an inverted pleat, and which in the closure position is turneddown on the set of pouches, and which comprises on each of its faces awindow pouch, the opening of which is oriented toward the invertedpleat.